PracticeSpace

Pesticide Education in Monterey, CA: Portola Plaza Nov. 12, 2009

I have lived on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, near Salinas, a place we long have called the Salad Bowl of the World. I have also long wondered how we can live around such intense pesticide applications. I have had reproductive cancer and so have friends and now with this coming seminar, I hear children are especially being harmed. 

This glorious agricultural area has such opportunity to "go organic". Traditional farmers go out of business, selling to developers. Why not be an area of small farms as in other N. CA counties? We can be a show place for more than our wonderful coastline.

But even Michelle Obama's garden at the White House is under siege by groups such as the Mid America Croplife Association (http://www.maca.org/issues/) who appears to do "research" on pests and agriculture applications but I believe with a little research we would see them as lobbyists for Big Ag and Chem. 

I have also wondered a long while on how can we persuade chemical companies to change. But I have as much hope of that as I do a Big Pharma changing at the moment. Those that pollute the earth for profit need to be put controlled and they need to refocus their livelyhoods not just dump in third world countries.n (I guess that would be all of us consumers, in one way or another.)

Two years ago downtown Monterey was sprayed with pesticides with little notice for a moth that should be controlled other ways. We were strafed by pesticide planes. Our friends in Watsonville, where so many of those disheartened farmers sold to developers, are also sprayed with little notice; their homes were build much too near fields. Everything is connected! Will we ever get this?

If you are local and can afford the $25 fee, do consider taking in the Pesticide Education Forum this Thursday, Nov. 10, 2009. Visit the Pesticide Watch site: http://www.pesticidewatch.org/events 

And thanks to Hal Ginsburg at www.krxa540.com for having Elise on your show and for all the important community work you do.

California Education: A Loss of Vision and a History of Individualistic Values Bring Less and Less

My husband, Richard, and I returned to California some six years ago after an absence of twenty years. I was shocked at the state of the libraries and education then. Now I still can't believe that the place I grew up, in the 1960's, was a leader in education on all levels. As of a 2006-2007 ratings, CA was 47th in education. Wikipedia now rates us at 49th.

In 1978 CA passed Prop 13, something I heard about but had no concept or understanding about the consequences, from my life at a distance.

I was living, among several places, in Tennessee and doing Masters studies. There I had the privilege of excellent libraries and I was active in electing pro education leaders. Tennessee is not especially known for its education but, when I returned to CA, I saw a rather sharp contrast telling me that TN wasn't as bad as it appeared CA was becoming.

While I am sure TN and CA face many of the same problems, especially the problem of Republicans, Libertarians and individualists who do not believe that interdependence and that we are connected to all of nature, including to each other. Individualism must also embrace community life and I believe collaboration and community are of first importance, as in a First Principles. I believe the environment forms us although we have done are damnedest to dominate nature. 

An environment that does not support the good of the community will become degraded, degraded and unbalanced towards the will of those who dominate and control. All things suffer.

One of my favorite mystics, Martin Buber, said that depression can be easily overcome by the simple practice of seeing all that one meets as part of the sacred, thus he wrote I and Thou. If we do not revere education, learning and each other as well as the ground we walk on "falling" in rankings seems simply natural.

I would like to add a great inspiring link here to often some kind of hope. Right now I am not able to feel that kind of hope. I see joblessness, healthcare, war and poor education pointing to only slight betterment. I pray our president will help, more and I know I need to find my own next inspiration towards re-engaging in education that cares.    

I look for intelligent friends who are caring and creating education in the way they live every day. Maybe these times will force us, as it has forced many before, to be our own educators. As I believe that informal education is actually more effective than formal, maybe that in itself can help me, and perhaps you, feel a bit of hope. Living, learning and participating with heart and sincerity still works for me.

Save the date for Serrena, a wonderful integrative clinic serving cancer patients and others on Monterey Bay

 

For Teens and Adults: Henry Giroux, CoAction Connection and Antiracism.com Tell the Truth

 Awhile ago I posted an announcement, here, regarding an important Teen Project in film, Shades of Youth , co-created in conjunction with antiracism.com and coAction Connection (coaction.com). The film was developed from The White Privelege Conference.

I have found recently that many adults think Teens are dumb and immature, not able to handle the complexity of the world as it is. This film, these collaborations say it differently: Teens are very wise in saying what they see and feel and when they get support to be intelligent, they are.

Secondly, I want to recommend a new book by one of my favorite radical scholars, Henry Giroux. You can find a review of his new book, Youth in a Suspect Society: Democracy or Disposability? by Tolu Olorundu (http://www.blackcommentator.com/341/341_st_youth_suspect_society.html )

Racism and hatred are being inflamed during these times of change and want. I believe every adult owes it to the next generations to educate ourselves on what the youth and radical scholars are saying even as we face our own fears of loss.

This is going to be a time of either violence or compassion and understanding as the dominant paradigm. Which do you want? Are you willing to open up to what youth, people of color and the poor are saying, or are you going to work to save your sorry old ass? Wake up, adults in the US. You are meant for better things. 

Please try to stop being as afraid, especially of people who are different from yourself. If we don't model this, how much harder will life be for us and for younger people?

We Can't Wait for Health Care and the Dignity of People: REM

Remeber to watch President Obama tonigh and remember that there are many of us who also can't wait...for jobs and for health care. Thanks Vicki Noble and Aaron Eagle for sending this.

National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation: S. Heierbacher on How to Hold Better Town Meetings

I have been wanting to report on some of the excellent work being done now in regard to civic engagement even as, and especially because, the news seems to emphasize the craziest and  most turbulent moments. The NCDD has been doing some astounding collaboration under the guidance of Sandy Heierbacher and Andy Fluke. Here is a reprint from our site. With several methods of making town meetings better. Many in the press, including Paul Krugman, who I respect, are predicting the end of our democracy. NCDD is a place where democracy is praticed in many forms. I hope these resources are helpful to you. NP

NCDD members have been sharing insights and tips–on our listservs and in various op-eds, blog posts, and more–on how legislators can engage citizens in ways that are more participatory and more productive than what we’ve seen in the news lately.

We’ve put together three articles that we hope you’ll share widely: